My challenges are small.

The social worker believes in observing how you behave and say, to deduce your story (how you always perceive life to be), and tries to change your story. It's quite an experience studying human emotions; I learnt that everybody struggles/struggled with one thing or another - it's really not just me. Seeing the struggles unfold right before my very eyes, I realized and felt deeply that they are so real and so genuine; they are almost tangible. Humans don't show these emotions often, and I'm glad I have a chance to see them, because if not, I thought it has always been me who is struggling with life. How much more self-centered can I be!

The doctor believes in changing the story that you are aware of - something you know you are struggling with right now, and not try to read the struggles that you didn't know you were grappling with, and then make you aware of it. The doctor believes in helping you with the struggles that are obvious to you.

To the doctor, the human mind is so complex that you can't just unlock locked, sad memories and attempt to lock them back with just the snap of the fingers. It's just doesn't work that way. "Don't attempt to open a can of worms, if you aren't confident to close it back." was their philosophy.

What do you think?

During my recent ward round attachment with the small doctor, a palliative care specialist, I saw a lady so charged with emotions; she's not ready to accept her mum's impending death. It was definitely a sight I could remember forever - a lady with anticipatory grief, and with occasional tears welling up in her eyes (and apologizing for her tears), say, "Do everything for my mum to keep her alive." 

Really, this gave me a different perspective to life.

Anger, annoyance, evil people etc - It all doesn't matter anymore, because challenges you faced/are facing are actually a trivial part of life. 

When you see someone like the small doctor who deals with death and grief on a daily basis and people who have difficulty coping with their loved ones' imminent death, what you are facing right now is so small that it isn't even worth mentioning.